1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of this disclosure relates to an optical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increase in the capacity of optical communications, there is a demand for high-density, smaller optical connectors.
An optical connector conforming to QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) standards (QSFP connector) includes a board on which electronic components are mounted, an MT (Mechanically Transferrable) ferrule to which an optical fiber is connected, and a lens ferrule optically connected to the MT ferrule.
For a QSFP connector, the dimensions of a housing and the position of a contact to be connected to an external device are strictly defined. Therefore, the layout of components of a QSFP connector cannot be freely determined.
Also, because the housing dimensions are predefined, the positions of an optical fiber and ferrules in the housing are naturally determined.
See, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-049816, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-281694, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-154553, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2015-022129.
An optical waveguide can be bent as needed, but if bent and/or twisted at a small radius of curvature, propagation of light may be affected and the optical transmission efficiency may be reduced.